Come Back Hair!

by Michael
(Manchester, NH)

I am a 21 year old male experiencing a lot of hair loss. There is some pattern baldness on my paternal side, but never this young in life. When I shampoo I lose a lot of hair every day. I notice it falling out during the day. I used to straighten my hair daily and within the last year I noticed thinning in my part, mostly due to breakage and flat iron damage.

The hair on top of my head has changed texture in the past few months. Its more coarse and has no structure really. Once the hair is this texture it just falls out. This problem has gotten increasingly worse in the past month or two.

I have been under more stress than I ever have in the past 4-5 months. I was laid off, unemployed for a month and a half, then only partially employed, had some really intense emotional strain due to an anxiety disorder, and debt has accumulated.

I started taking vitamins for hair skin and nails about a week and a half ago. I've not seen a difference, which I expected because it’s only been a week. I've noticed little baby like hair growing back in on my hair line, and some have started taking on color, but I can't seem to get my hair to stop falling out.

I read about TE and what I've discovered seems to apply to me. I was wondering if the hair grows back? Could this be MPB?

I have finally gotten a full-time job that will finally help me pay off debt, loans, live more comfortably. I am hoping this will have with the problem.

Editor’s Comments,

Dear Michael,

Glad that you have found a full-time job. Times are really bad now and you are one lucky guy! Anyway, everyone loses up to 100 hairs everyday and it’s perfectly normal. Most people might notice more hair loss during showers because of the friction when shampooing their hair. (Please don’t avoid shampooing your hair because it won’t stop the Telogen hairs from falling somewhere or sometime else).

It’s really hard to define what condition your are having but the most obvious signs is that Male Pattern Baldness is a gradual condition where you will see continuous thinning every day. If you hairline is slowly reclining in the front, sides or back then it’s a clear indication of this condition. You might want to check out the Norwood Scale for some illustration.

If it’s Telogen Effluvium then your hair loss might not be permanent and it’s usually a sudden issue. If that’s it, then hopefully your condition will recover after 3-6 months of the onset. If it gets worse, your best option is to go for a full medical check up.

Another possible cause is extreme hair breakages that can lead to the appearance of hair loss. This is particularly possible when you excessively use straightening iron and creams that can damage your hair’s structure. Sometimes this might also be related to a medical condition known as Trichorrhexis Nodosa, a possible genetic condition that causes your hair shaft to break easily. You might want to read more about it here.